Spartanburg Reporter

Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce issued the following announcement on January 18.

In an update to our continuing communications regarding a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for large employers, below are key points regarding the U.S. Supreme Court halting the Biden Administration’s proposed vaccine mandate.

• The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s “Emergency Testing Standard” (ETS) was an overreach of OSHA authority.
• The Court ruled that COVID-19 and the vaccine mandate public health concerns, not workplace safety concerns.
• The Court left open the possibility for OSHA to issue vaccine mandates or other regulations for certain workplaces where COVID-19 poses a special danger to workers (places like laboratories or facilities where distancing is not possible).

The Court did, however, allow the vaccine mandate for healthcare workers to stand. Healthcare providers that are Medicare or Medicaid certified will have to comply with the vaccine mandate. This rule, however, does not include a testing or masking option (though employers must still consider medical and religious vaccine exemptions).

Employers who complied with OSHA’s ETS can now decide whether they wish to have a vaccine mandate or a “shot or test” mandate for their workforces, according to individual state laws.

With the Omicron variant causing disruptions to worker availability, see updated isolation/quarantine guidance based on an individual’s vaccination status, issued by the CDC.

Original source can be found here.